Lest We Forget - Collessie Parish Traditional Cache
Lest We Forget - Collessie Parish
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Continuing the series. Bring your own pen.
The parish of Collessie comprises several villages of the area such as Charlottetown, Giffordtown, Collessie, Monimail, Edentown, Monkstown and, surprisingly, Ladybank, so it would appear.
The memorial has regular first and second World War listings but perhaps more unusually, also has a lone entry for 1953. Initially, I presumed it was for the Korean War but enquiries have proved otherwise.
HMS Indomitable was an aircraft carrier launched in 1940 and commissioned in 1941. After serving throughout the second world war the ship was subsequently retired to the reserve fleet in 1946.A major refit followed between 1948 and 1950 after which she was transferred to the Home Fleet of which she became the flagship. Indomitable suffered a major internal explosion and fire on Tuesday 3rd February 1953 whereby petrol vapour was ignited by a carelessly discarded cigarette below the island in the hangar deck. As a result of the ensuing mayhem, ten gallantry medals including two George Medals were awarded for the subsequent rescue operations. More men died of injuries in succeeding days, including Boy S/M 1st Class John H. Lawson, of Collessie Parish, who is also remembered on this monument beside other fallen wartime comrades.
The damage to the ship resulting from the explosion and fire was never repaired and it was simply covered in concrete to allow the ship to be towed to Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation Review at Spithead later in 1953. After the review, Indomitable was again put onto the reserve list and was later broken up in Faslane in 1955.
Sad that more information can be found for the lump of steel than the men who gave their lives serving her.......
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gho
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